Extra work rarely arrives as a formal request. It shows up as a line in an email, a question on a coordination call, or a quick favor for a client the firm wants to keep happy. The work gets done, and the paperwork is supposed to follow. By the time it does, the client remembers the favor and not the conversation where it was agreed.
The most reliable fix is to get the change order approved before the work starts, while everyone remembers the request and the price is still open for discussion.
A routine that catches scope changes
1. Log every request where the project lives. If requests stay in individual inboxes, nobody sees the pattern until the fee is gone. Put each one on the project, with the date and who asked.
2. Decide quickly whether it's in scope. Compare the request to the scope in the proposal or contract. If it's covered, say so and do it. If it isn't, say that too, before anyone starts.
3. Price it the way you bill. Add the change to the phase or fee line it affects, either as a fixed amount or as hours at your rates. A change order that maps to your billing structure is one you can actually invoice.
4. Get approval in writing before the work starts. A short note is enough:
Thanks for the request to add the second parking lot layout. It's outside the current scope, so we've prepared a change order for $4,200, added to design development. Once you approve it, we'll get started.
5. Update the budget the same day. When the approved change raises a phase's budget, the next invoice should reflect it. If the budget isn't updated, the extra work looks like an overrun.
When the work has to start right away
Sometimes the work has to start before the paperwork is signed. In that case, confirm the request and the price in writing anyway, and note that you're proceeding on that basis. It keeps the record clear if questions come up later.
How Kineo handles it
In Kineo, change orders belong to the contract. A change order adjusts fee lines or phase budgets from an effective date, and you can preview the new budget before approving it. Once it's approved, the contract's budget reflects the change.
You can ask the assistant to draft a change order from a description of the request. You can also set up an automation that watches project email. When a client message asks for work outside the agreed scope, it prepares a draft change order and emails the project manager a summary, so the paperwork is ready before the work begins.